When riding a snowboard, each of the user's boots is secured to the snowboard, e.g., with an apparatus called a “binding.” The bindings keep the user and board from separating during the ride down the slope. Bindings are also commonly configured to transfer forces from the user to the snowboard, allowing the user to control the snowboard during the ride.
One common type of binding for use with a snowboard, which may be referred to as a “strap-in” binding, may be designed to receive a boot, such as, for example, the type of boot that may be referred to in the art as a “soft boot.” A strap-in binding commonly incorporates one or more adjustable straps, which, when tightened, push the user's boot against the relatively rigid interior surfaces of the binding. The pressure of the straps and the interior surfaces hold the boot in the binding while the snowboard is in use and help the user to control the snowboard.
Another common type of snowboard binding may be referred to in the art as a “step-in” binding. A step-in binding may incorporate a relatively flat base that includes a mechanism that connects to hinges, fixtures, and/or other mechanisms on the bottom of the user's boot. A boot for use with a step-in binding is typically more rigid and sturdy than one typically used with a strap-in binding, and the rigid structures of the boot may transmit forces exerted by the user to the board, helping the user to control it. The construction that makes a boot suitable for use with a step-in binding may also make the boot heavier than a soft boot, however, as may the hardware built into the boot that is needed to secure the boot to the snowboard.
Inconveniences attend use of either of the strap-in binding and the step-in binding. For example, securing a boot inside a strap-in binding commonly requires that the user's hands be available to tighten the straps. A common consequence is that a snowboard user cannot ride directly off of a ski lift and onto a slope, as skiers may do, because the user typically must first get off of the ski lift and then secure at least one boot to the appropriate binding.
Step-in bindings, as mentioned above, commonly entail using boots that may be heavier and stiffer than the soft boots that may typically be used with a strap-in binding. The weight and rigidity may make such boots less comfortable to wear than soft boots, and experienced snowboard users may feel that the weight and rigidity compromise the user's control of the snowboard during a ride.